Joseph l



(No Model.)

J. L. 00X. WEB ROLLER FOR PRINTING PRESSESL No. 457,255. Patented Aug.4, 1891.

qwwmaoaeq I PETERS 5a., mmo-ump, msmrmrou n c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFCE.

JOSEPH L. COX, OF BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO THE DUPLEXPRINTING PRESS COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

VYEB-ROLLER FOR PRINTING-PRESSES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 457,255, dated August4, 1891. Application filed November 1, 1889. Serial No. 328,948. (Nomodel.)

To all whom/it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH L. COX, of Battle Creek, in the county ofCalhoun and State of Michigan, haveinvented certain new and use- 5fulImprovemntsinIVeb-RollersforPrinting- Presses; and I do herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to theletters of reference marked thereon, which form part of thisspecification, in which Figure 1 is a detail perspective viewillustrating some web-looping idler-rollers of a printing-press and thewebof paper looped r5 thereon, indicating in dotted lines the positionof the rollers when at rest or unsprung and in full lines showing therollers sprung by the pressure of the Web or centrifugal force of theirrotation. Fig. 2 is a similar View of the loop of paper and its rollers,the latter being constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 3 isa detail view of the ordinary form of idler-roller for looping the web,made of equal diameterthroughout. Fig.

4 is a view of a roller embodying the principle of my invention, butgreatly exaggerated in appearance to more distinctly show the differencebetween my rollers and the old ordinary kind and to more readily assistin 0 the understanding of myinvention in connection with the followingdescription.

This invention is an improvement in idlerrollers for use in thepaper-feed mechanism of printing-presses wherein the paper is taken in acontinuous sheet or web and operated upon; and the object of myinvention is to remedy a common defect in the paper-feedmechanismnamely, the excessive strain on the web in its passage over thevarious idler 4c or looping rollers found in such devices.

Everypressman operating web-printing machines finds that when running athigh speed the web is frequently torn at the edges in passing throughthe press, owing to unequal strain thereon, which it is in most casesabsolutely impossible to remedy, except by slowing up the machine. Onecause of this defeet is the fact that the various rollers over which theweb passes are not perfectly true,

these rollers being in many cases several feet in length, and, as theyare to be rotated by the friction of the web in its passage thereunder,they must he made light and small in diameter, and obviously they arethus ren dered very liable to be bent or distorted by pressure thereuponand to be sprung at center, so that even if the web passes around aroller with equal strain throughout its width the center of the rollerwill sag, and hence when the web reaches the succeeding roller the edgeswill be drawn more taut in passing around this roller than the centralportion thereof, so that by the time the web has passed several of theserollers its edges are strained so much that rupture frequently ensues.This is illustrated in Fig. 1, wherein the Web of paper W is shownlooped over three rollers A, and these rollers have been sprung, asdescribed, (though this defect is greatly exaggerated in the drawings.)The central 7o portion E of the web is loose and its edges e eare tautand liable to rupture or fracture, as indicated. The rapid revolution ofa small roller, which is virtually nothing more than a section of asteel rod ortube, will of itself frequently cause the springing of thecenter of the roller, especially when there is any pressure against oneedge thereof. Various attempts have been made to remedy this defeet inweb-printing machines by adjusting-8e the rollers and by employingweb-tensioning devices in different positions. It is a fact that a sheetof paper will sustain a longitudinal strain of many pounds if applied atthe center of its width, whereas if the strain 8:, of as many ounces wasapplied on the edge thereof rupture would result, especially where thepaper has to 100p and bend in different directions, as it does in mostweb-printing perfecting presses. Of course Where it ispos- 9o sible tomake the rollers of sufficient diameter and weight to withstand thepressure thereon, due to the tension of the web necessary to draw itthrough the machine, such defeets of severe strainon the edges of theweb would be obviated; but were the rollers so large and heavy-it wouldbe too great astrain on the web to operate them, and, besides, the

paper-feeding devices of the press would be ineonveniently large andpractically inoper- I00 ative, as the web-loops would have to beenlarged correspondingly with the rollers.

I overcome the defects of small rollers by modifying their construction,enabling them to be made as light or lighter than those now used and atthe same time compensating for any spring occasioned by the tension ofthe web th'ereagainst or by their rapid revolution, and transfer theprincipal strain on the web from its edges to center simply by reducingthe ends of the rollers, making them slightly smaller in diameter atends than at center, this reduction being gradual and'in actual usealmost imperceptible, for the difference of the thickness of a sheet ofpaper in the circumference of the roller ends and center will sometimesbe sufficient to remedy the evil where there are a number of rollersemployed, several of the rollers being similarly formed-i. 6., withreduced ends.

The improved rollers are shown greatly exaggerated in Figs. 2 and 4. InFig. 2 the effect of the use of such rollers is illustrated, only thatwere the rollers tapered as perceptibly as in the drawings the web wouldnot be properly regulated; but the rollers are shown thus formed merelyfor thepurpose of illustration, since as the actual tapering of therollers at the ends would generally not make a difierence in thecircumference of the roller at center and ends of more than one to threethicknesses of the paper or web to be operated upon such taper would notbe perceptible to the eye, but can be made by proper machinery. Vhereseveral such rollers are used together, the aggregated differences incircumference between the ends and centers of the rollers will have avery appreciable and decided effect uponthe transverse tension or strainon the Web, whichwill be thereby transferred from edges to center, asindicated in Fig. 2, B B B being three such rollers over which the webis looped, the edges f f running over the reduced ends of the rollersbeing relieved of undue strain, while the central portion F has to bearan increased strain, which it is well enabled to do. By slightlyincreasing the amount of reduction of the ends of one roller it may bemade to sufficiently relieve strain on the edges of the paper web, orone or more alternate rollers may be thus reduced for the purposeand'with the effect described. The paper web thus passesthrough thepress Without fracture of the edges, and consequently the press orfolder can be run at the highest speed attainable, as there is no dangerof damage to the paper by excessive.

longitudinal strain on the edges thereof occasioned by the variousrollersover which it is looped and passed.-

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent thereon, is-

A feed-roller for paper-web-printi n g presses, consisting of acylindrical roller of equal diameter throughout its length, except justat its ends, which are slightly tapered, so as to relieve strain on theedges of the web of pa per, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own Iaffix my signature inpresence of two Witnesses.

JOSEPH L. COX.

Witnesses:

A. E. DOWELL, P. F. BROOKS.

